Chapter 3

On my way to the compound I finish my food, but I feel like I'm being watched. I think I remember Valentine saying something about this being a show. It's one hell of a messed up show. I can't imagine the kinds of people who watch this. Must be a bunch of assholes.

Being watched by a bunch of people who I don't know while I'm fighting for my life does sound like an interesting show though. I'm not going to deny that I'd watch it. It sounds very interesting. I look up at the sky. Dark clouds are moving in. it looks like it's going to rain soon.

As I'm thinking this I notice someone standing in a clearing. It's the German. I knew this was coming. It would come down to the two of us. If it's been this long with the both of us here we would be the last standing. Only one can truly go on from here though.

The German turns around and points a gun at me. I dive behind a tree. The bullet hit's the tree. I run around the clearing until I pull out my own gun and shoot back at the German. He dives for cover as well. I stop shooting because I don't want to use up all my ammunition.

We move through the trees silently. Then I hear the German speak. "Come out of hiding, little girl. We both know only one of us is going to walk away from this. We should face it like the criminals we are."

While he's talking I move to just behind him. I point the gun. "The only difference is that I'm better at it."

The German shoots over his shoulder. It gets very close to hitting me. It grazes my shoulder. Pain shoots through my upper arm and through my shoulder. I back away and place my hand over the wound. I shoot at the German. He dodges out of the way and shoots again. I move behind a tree just in time.

Even though I'm in pain I refuse to cry out. I won't give Valentine or Sebastian the satisfaction of seeing me break down. I grab one of the strips of cloth I wrapped around my arm earlier and tie it around the wound. It's painful but I manage to pull through.

The German's voice comes again. "That looked like it was painful, little girl. Unlike the others I won't hesitate to kill you. I want that money and my freedom. I won't let a brat like you get in my way."

I clench my teeth. Why? I'm strong. I'm capable of nearly impossible things. I killed a demon for God's sake. That's when it hits me. I look around the tree and carefully look at the German. There's something unnatural about him. That's for sure. Is it possible…

The blade in my boot sends warmth into me. It definitely is. The German seems to have been keeping a dirty little secret. I don't think I can use it against him, but at least I know what I have to do to defeat him. I'm not going to like it though.

I make a break for it. Gun shots follow after me. Blood is running down my arm. I need some real help soon. Thankfully the bullet didn't hit anything but my shoulder, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. All the running is making the blood run faster though.

That's when I come to a ravine. It's deep. There's water down there, but I don't know how deep it is. I look over my shoulder as the German comes into view. I turn and smirk. "No where to run now."

The German grins his agreement. "That, my dear, is the absolute truth."

A bullet comes flying toward me. I dodge it, but pretend it did hit me. I place my hand on my side. I smile sadly then fall back into the ravine. I hit the water hard. It knocks the wind out of me. I surface only for a quick breath then go back underwater. I stay underwater until I see the German turn away and leave. I resurface and pull myself onto the edge.

I notice that the feeling of being watched isn't there anymore. The cameras have been shut off. Everyone thinks the German won. I push myself to my hands and knees. Then I sit back on my heels. I hold my arm gently. The adrenaline is keeping me from feeling much at this point. I stand and start climbing. It's not easy.

I check my gun. It will work. I start running toward the compound. It's getting dark. Not because it's late in the day, but because the storm clouds are coming in. I make it to the compound in record time. I sneak my way to the gate. The rain has started to come down hard.

Even though I'm soaking wet it doesn't matter. I was already wet from falling into the ravine. I climb over the fence and drop silently into the compound. I push my wet hair back. I move forward until I'm standing in front of a large tent. This one has the most activity.

The guards in front see me. I'm not trying to hide. I run forward and use my knives to take them out. I pull out my gun to deal with a few others. It goes quickly.

I push my way through the flaps into the tent. There is a pile of people at the center. I see the German being congratulation for winning. Valentine and the German are standing in front of a camera with wicked expressions. They all turn to look when I enter.

By the looks of it they look shocked to see me. I sneer and rush forward. I knock out as many as possible. Then some guards come around. They don't hesitate in trying to kill me. I give them the same courtesy. I back flip to avoid an attack and land in a couch. I look up with a vicious look in my eyes. I know I'm covered in blood. My own and the others'.

The German pulls his gun at me. I pull mine out faster though. A bullet goes straight into the center of his forehead. Somehow I know that's only going to buy me some time. I turn to Valentine. "Valentine, meet your maker."

Valentine looks at me with discuss. "Don't think you can win so easily. Sebastian?"

Out of nowhere Sebastian jumps me. I get thrown to the ground. My knives and gun are knocked out of my hands. I knee Sebastian in the gut and push him off. I throw a punch that he dodges and returns with an upper cut. I take a step back quickly.

Sebastian comes at me and pushes me back against some computers. "You're getting in the way."

"Do I look like I care?" I elbow him in the face. Payback.

"You should," Sebastian knocks me down and holds me down. He gets a wicked grin. "You're actually really pretty. It would be a shame to let that body go to waste."

I get really angry. I head butt him hard just as his fingers the waistband of my pants. Sebastian reels back. I pull my legs to my chest then push out hard enough to throw Sebastian away from me. From there the fight goes on.

Sebastian keeps up the attack. I get some beating but he gets worse. I have been training since I could walk. I spin around and kick him while in the air. Sebastian stumbles backwards and is impaled onto a metal rod. I don't know how it got there, but it serves him right.

Valentine roars in anger. "NOOO! What have you done? You killed my son!"

I rush forward and grab Valentine's head. "You're seriously getting on my nerves."

With a swift motion I snap his neck. I let Valentine fall limp to the floor. I kneel to make sure he's dead. That's when I feel a presence behind me. I reach into my boot and wrap my fingers around the hilt.

We both move at the same time. I pull out the blade and stick it through the German's chest. The gun goes off against my forearm. Pain flares in my arm but I won't lose the arm. It's just going to hurt. The German on the other hand won't be so lucky.

Black blood runs down the German's chest. He stares at me with wide eyes. "What-"

I whisper a single word. "Raziel."

The blade glows brightly with light. The German demon shrieks with pain then folds in on itself and turns into dust. I clean the blade then stick it back in my boot. i place my hand over my arm. It hurts like a bitch. Luckily it only went through the fat and some muscle. It won't leave too much damage. I might be in an arm sling for a few weeks and a scar will show.

I turn to the computers. I start an SOS, but the computer fails. I swear under my breath then look at the camera. I pick it up and set it on the counter. I set up to broadcast. I look over my shoulder. There's a lot going on out there. This peace isn't going to last forever.

Finally, I'm online. I find a laptop that has a live chat going on. It goes crazy the moment I turn on the camera. I look around then speak in a low voice. "Listen, I don't have much time. I'm going to give you my coordinates. Hurry and-"

I'm cut off when bullets start to fly. I grab the camera and the laptop and hide behind a table. I tip the metal table over. It will provide some cover. I tilt the camera us so it shows my face. "I'm running out of time."

Quickly I type in my coordinates and grab my gun. There's only one bullet in the chamber. I fire it off then change the magazine. Then I see a response and I freeze the screen. I block everyone but that one. "Luke?"

A few seconds go by then a response comes: 'Clarissa! We're on our way. We've been tracking the signal for a while and we finally found the island thanks to you.'

I smile then sigh in relief. "You're a life saver, Luke."

Luke responds: 'Just try to stay alive until we get there. We're just ten minutes away. Stay online!'

I nod then turn to return fire. I hit a few then get grazed on the shoulder. I sit back down behind the semi-safety of the table. I look to see a message from Luke: 'How many are there?'

"About twenty," I push my wet hair out of the way.

'Hang in there' Is Luke's response.

It feels like an eternity trying to fight off twenty heavily guarded enemies with just on gun. I'm just trying to hold them off though. I sit behind the metal table with just one magazine left. I rub my hands together. They're starting to feel sore. They're still scraped up too.

Finally I hear the sound of sudden yelling outside. When I look over the table I seen men in military uniforms. I sigh and shut off the camera and laptop. I stand and walk over to the largest of the seven new men. I walk over and smile tiredly. "Hey, Luke."

Luke turns to me and takes off his mast that covers the lower part of his face. "Hey, Clary."

I sigh and my legs give out from under me. Luke catches me quickly and lifts me into his arms. I lean my head on Luke's chest and sigh. I let my body relax. I had no idea just how tired I really was until just now. I feel myself dozing off. I give into it. I deserve it.

The next time I wake up I'm lying in a white room. I can hear a faint beeping sound. It's slow and steady. I slowly open my eyes and turn my head, but stop when pain flares through my entire body. I lie still until it goes away. Then I remember what happened.

I groan and close my eyes. Then I hear footsteps. I want to open my eyes, but then I hear soft whispers. I hear Luke, but the other person is unfamiliar. Luke is speaking in a low and urgent whisper. "What are you doing here? I told you that I would talk to her when she was ready. Let her rest. She's been through a lot already."

"We need to know what she saw and experienced," the other voice comes back harshly.

I hear Luke growl. "Don't test me, shadow hunter. I'm not going to let you interrogate my daughter after what she went through. She deserves a chance to recover."

The other person grunts in disappointment. "Fine. I'm not letting this drop though."

"I'm putting my two best men outside her door so you don't get any ideas," Luke huffs.

The other person is silent for a moment before speaking. "I wasn't going to try anything."

I hear footsteps leaving. Luke mumbles. "My ass, you weren't."

When the other person is gone I groan to get Luke's attention. I open my eyes slightly and see Luke smiling down at me. I smile in return, not letting on that I just heard his conversation. I wince when I try to move my arm. "I haven't been this badly beaten since the run in with the rebels in the Philippines."

Luke lightly brushes my hair away from my face. "I'm just glad you're okay. You had me worried for a second there. You've been asleep for three days. I don't blame you."

I chuckle then wince. "Broken ribs are a bitch."

Luke laughs. "You're the same as always… Clary, if you ever need to talk I'm here for you. I know you gave up that life style a long time ago, but sometimes old memories can resurface and it's never pretty."

I nod slightly then sigh. "How much longer am I going to be in the hospital?"

"Just a few more days then I can take you home," Luke beams.

I smirk then look up at the ceiling. "I'm so sleepy."

"Then sleep," Luke places a light kiss on my forehead then leaves to get me something to eat.

I close my eyes, but I'm really not tired. I just needed a moment to myself. Luke is definitely hiding something from me, but I don't want to pry. If I'm going to find out what it is then I'm going to have to do it on my own. The old fashioned way. With some investigation and research.

Even though Luke knows what I used to do he doesn't exactly know who I was. i had a few identities. Actually, only three. The really me, my known assassin's name and a private one I use when I want to be under the radar.

The one that most know is Shamrock. I use that name because my eyes are so green. The other name is Selene. I use that name every once in a while. Just enough to make that name known. I think I'll use it when I'm out of the hospital and I'm able to move without wincing.

A couple of hours later Luke comes back with food from outside the hospital. I smile gratefully. I always hated hospital food. Since I can't move without it hurting Luke feeds me. It's not that bad. Sure it's a little awkward, but I would want to fee myself and go at my own pace which is really fast.

After I finish eating I look up at Luke. "Thanks. Oh, do you think you can get the doctors to let me leave earlier?"

Luke shakes his head and smiles sympathetically. "Sorry. I know you really don't like hospitals, but they won't let you leave until your bruises start to fade."

"That could take weeks," I pout.

Luke sighs then stands. "Fine. I'll go ask again."

I smile happily. Once Luke is gone I look up at the air vent. "You can come out now. Luke's gone."

The air vent moves and something gold drops down from it. He stands up straight and smirks. His hair is like gold and so are his eyes. They're impossibly golden. He may be wearing a leather jacket, but it looks like he's seriously ripped from the way his black t-shirt clings to his chest. Those fades jeans are looking good on him too. I just look like crap.

I sigh and look away. "What do you want?"

The golden boy steps forward. "My name is Jace. How are you doing?"

I make a face. "How does it look like I'm doing?"

Jace grunts then walks to the foot of my bed. "Stupid question. Right. I should know by now not to ask that anymore. Anyway, I just wanted to ask you some questions."

I close my eyes. "What do you want?"

Jace places his hands in his pockets. "I want to know what you saw on the island."

I watch his face carefully. He's good at hiding his emotions, but I'm better at reading them. I blink once. "I saw a lot of trees, some sand, water and a lot of green. I saw the sky and the stars at night-"

"That's not what I meant," Jace interrupts.

I sigh and raise my right arm, which is the only thing I can move without it hurting. "I saw people trying to kill me. I knew that somewhere on the island something was trying to kill me. Whether or not it be human. The chances of getting off that island was little to none."

Jace watches me intensely. "Did you see anything strange? Anything out of the ordinary?"

I shake my head. "Nothing really. I did feel that someone was watching me. I guess that was just all the people watching the show. How did you come across it though."

Jace shrugs. "A friend told me about it."

I grunt then relax my head onto the pillow. "I think-"

Luke enters the door looking seriously pissed off. "What are you doing here?"

Jace looks over his shoulder with a cool expression. "I was talking."

Luke walks over to me and smiles gently. "The doctor says you can go if you feel well enough to move."

I nod then look at Jace. "It was nice talking to you. I don't know if I'll see you again, but this was enjoyable. I hope to see you again some time soon."

Luke throws Jace a look. "I'm going to be having a chat with your parents later on. You got that?"

Jace waves away the threat and saunters cockily to the door. He looks over at me with a dazzling grin. "See you around, Clary."

Luke turns to me when he's gone. "What did he ask you?"

I pucker my lips. "Only if I saw anything strange on the island. That's all. That's a strange question to ask though. Don't you think so?"

Luke nods then a doctor and nurse enter the room. The nurse has a wheelchair. The doctor goes to check my chart. "It looks like you're stable. We already replaced the blood you lost from the gun wound. There are only two broken ribs and a few large bruises here and there. You were grazed in a few placed too. Are you sure you want to leave?"

I nod. "Yes please."

The doctor sighs and gives in. He gives me detailed instructions of what I need to do once I get home. It's strict bed rest and no strenuous activity. Take my pain medication twice every day. That I don't mind. I'll do whatever it takes to get rid of this pain. It's so annoying.

Luke helps me sit up. I take a deep breath and clench my teeth against the pain. I wait for a second before letting him take me to the wheelchair. The nurse makes sure to carefully cradle my arm. They put it into a sling. That makes it a little better.

When I'm sitting they give me a prescription. Luke goes to the pharmacy to get my medicine. I sit in the wheelchair in the lobby. People are glancing over and watching me. I ignore them and focus on not letting the pain in my entire body get to me.

Luke finally comes back and he has my medicine with a bottle of water. I take a medicine right then. It starts to take effect a few minutes later. I feel the pain slip away to a dull throbbing. It's a lot better than before.

After taking my medicine Luke rolls me down to the parking lot. There are a lot of people there for some reason. Luke gets really tense. "Crap."

As we get closer the people turn and rush toward us. I'm taken by surprise. I pull myself in on myself so no one touches any of my injured body. I wince at the pain, but it's better than being bumped and jostled.

Luke gets me to the car after the reporters finally get a death glare from Luke. That always seems to work. I'm grateful I have Luke here with me. I get put in the back seat. I lean back and try to relax my body. I'm dozing off by the time we get back home. We're met by silence.

Ever since my mom died nothing has been the same. Luke is still really nice and fatherly to me, but I know he misses her. I rub my hand over my shoulder gently.

Luke carries me to my room. He sets me down on the bed and smiles. "Get some rest. I'll get you something to eat.

When Luke is gone I sigh. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I try to think about how I'm going to figure out what Luke is hiding from me. Then I feel something poking my back. I reach behind me slowly and wrap my hands around it. When I pull it back I see the glowing blade. What the hell?

I don't know what's going on, but it definitely has something to do with me. I don't like it when people keep secrets from me. Even when I keep secrets from them. These are different secrets. I told Luke my deepest secret and he accepted it. I told him because I thought it would endanger his life if I didn't. I want Luke to show me the same courtesy.

Things are really starting to get interesting. I'm going to wait a few more days when I can actually move around without everything hurting to get out there and start getting back into the flow of things. I hide the blade until my pillow.

My mind is working in full motion when Luke comes back into my room. "Hungry?"

I nod and smile. "Starving."